Chapter 357

The great array was complete; the battle to subdue the demons could now begin.

But when the time for actual battle arrived, doubt arose in the hearts of all cultivators in Xiancheng.

Is the great array truly without flaw? Can it truly subdue and kill Fengxi?

Not only the ordinary cultivators, but even Elder Yu and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were deeply anxious.

Yet none dared to ask Mo Hua.

First, they feared adding pressure to Mo Hua; second, asking would do no good.

Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back.

The matter had reached this point; the great array was already built. No matter what, they could only grit their teeth and begin the subjugation of the great demon.

Throughout it all, Mo Hua's gaze remained calm, his expression composed.

As if this great demon was certain to die within the great array.

This somehow calmed several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Elder Yu sighed inwardly: these people of his, after all, had lived over a century, weathered storms, yet now they couldn't match the composure of a child like Mo Hua.

Yet upon reflection, though they had weathered storms, such a great demon as this was truly their first encounter…

The great array was still an array; since it was an array, they didn't understand it; since they didn't understand it, they might as well trust Mo Hua.

Not just Elder Yu—all cultivators basically thought this way.

The Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array was a trapping and killing array; to trap and kill Fengxi, they must first lure Fengxi into the array.

This step was dangerous, so only Foundation Establishment cultivators could do it, with Dao Soldiers providing cover.

Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators assigned to lure and kill Fengxi, Mo Hua even spotted Zhang Lan.

"Uncle Zhang, you've broken through the realm?!"

Mo Hua was startled.

Zhang Lan feigned calmness, though his eyes betrayed his pride, saying lightly: "Not bad—I broke through when I had a spare moment."

Mo Hua smirked: broke through the realm in a spare moment… as if he'd just taken a moment to get engaged.

Could Foundation Establishment really be this easy…

Yet he remembered Zhang Lan's earlier words.

Indeed, for scion cultivators, breaking through the realm wasn't hard.

Zhang Lan had remained at Qi Refinement Ninth Layer not only to polish his foundation, but also to avoid family troubles.

"Have you polished your foundation well?" Mo Hua asked.

Zhang Lan waved it off: "Close enough. No need to polish forever."

"So now that you've broken through, are you going home for an arranged marriage?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Zhang Lan's face darkened: "Kid, can you talk about something serious?"

Mo Hua chuckled, and inwardly felt gratitude.

He knew Zhang Lan's move was truly for the sake of Xiancheng's cultivators—after all, for fighting a great demon, one more Foundation Establishment cultivator meant one more force, one more guarantee; that's why he rushed to break through the realm.

Mo Hua silently noted Zhang Lan's favor, thinking to himself:

"When I get the chance, I must help Uncle Zhang!"

The plan to subdue the great demon had already been settled before the great array was built; now they were merely confirming the personnel.

At dawn the next day, the Dao Soldiers began assembling.

Yang Jiyong stood atop a hill, gazing across at the blood-colored great demon, looking solemn.

Soon, another Dao Soldier commander, clad in armor, approached and whispered: "Big Brother, everything's arranged."

This man was Yang Rong, a member of the Yang family and the Dao Soldier commander dispatched to support them.

Yang Jiyong nodded, yet still frowned.

The atmosphere grew heavy; Yang Rong sought to lighten it by starting a conversation with Yang Jiyong.

After discussing some family matters, Yang Rong suddenly grew curious and asked:

"Big Brother, why were only Yang family members summoned?"

Applications for Dao Soldier deployment were assigned by the Dao Court; Yang Jiyong had used Yang family connections to bring Yang Rong and others here.

Moreover, not just Yang Rong—all Dao Soldiers here had ties to the Yang family: either they bore the Yang surname, had married into the Yang family, or owed the Yang family a debt; all were considered "one of us."

"I trust those who are 'one of us,'" Yang Jiyong replied.

Yang Rong clearly didn't believe him. "Big Brother, tell me the truth. Don't lie to me."

Yang Jiyong glanced at Yang Rong, paused in thought, then spoke slowly:

"Fine, I'll tell you—but you must keep it secret, even from the men below. Not a word must leak out."

Yang Rong's expression hardened, and he nodded: "Big Brother, you can count on me."

Yang Jiyong said: "I brought you here primarily for secrecy. Whether the great array is built or not, whether we kill Fengxi or not—you must not reveal any of this."

Yang Rong looked uneasy. "But building such a great array—it's impossible to hide…"

"I'm not asking you to hide the building of the array," Yang Jiyong said. "I'm asking you to hide who built it."

Yang Rong froze. "Who built this array?"

Upon arriving in Xiancheng, they had stationed themselves near the great demon to prevent any sudden moves, and had little contact with Xiancheng's cultivators.

They had not intervened in the array's construction.

They understood nothing of array-drawing.

He only remembered seeing a group of array masters, among whom the most striking was an elderly master with great bearing—but who was in charge of building the array? He had no idea.

Yang Jiyong was about to speak, then shook his head. "It's better you don't know."

Yang Rong blinked, intending not to ask further—but suddenly, curiosity clawed at his mind like a cat's paw.

Brother Yang, you're being so serious, which shows this matter is truly extraordinary.

"Brother Yang, tell me—only if I know what's confidential can I keep it better. If you don't tell me, I don't even know what's confidential, and what if I accidentally let it slip?"

Yang Jiyong blinked in surprise. "When did you get so sharp?"

Yang Rong chuckled.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Jiyong decided to tell him: "In the past few days, have you seen a young cultivator?"

"A young cultivator?" Yang Rong paused slightly.

"With features like a painting, pale and handsome, looks clever and adorable at first glance—but look closer and you can't fathom him at all…"

Yang Rong frowned in thought, then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"—he remembered.

"That young cultivator who trailed behind a group of old array masters."

"You've got it backward."

"Backward?"

Yang Jiyong said coolly: "It's not that he trailed behind the old array masters—it's that a group of old array masters trailed behind him…"

Yang Rong's mouth dropped open. "No way…"

Then he connected it to what Yang Jiyong had said about "the one who built the great array," and for a moment he was stunned, saying again: "No way…"

Yang Jiyong stopped there, saying no more, only reminding him:

"Understood?"

Yang Rong sat stunned for a long while, finally grasping the situation, shook his head, and muttered: "Too terrifying…"

These days, even a child this young can build a great array?

Yang Rong leaned closer to Yang Jiyong and whispered: "Brother, this matter must not reach the Li family or the Chang family."

Otherwise, they'll pull out all stops to win him over.

"That's why I used the Yang family's connections to bring you here."

"But what if we can't keep it secret?" Yang Rong worried.

"Don't worry," Yang Jiyong said calmly. "Unless they see it with their own eyes, they won't believe it."

Yang Rong nodded.

In truth, he had seen it himself—but still didn't quite believe it…

Still, since Brother Yang said so, he'd follow orders.

"There's one more crucial matter…"

Yang Jiyong looked at Yang Rong and added:

"This hunt to kill Feng Xi is uncertain—if we fail, you must do everything to protect Mo Hua's safety."

"Mo Hua…"

Yang Rong memorized the name and nodded: "Got it!"

After speaking, he glanced at Feng Xi in the distance and sighed:

"Such a monstrous beast—I'm just looking at it and my heart trembles. Can we really kill it?"

Yang Jiyong said gravely: "No matter what, we must try."

As he spoke, he sighed inwardly:

I hope this time, not too many die…

The Dao soldiers here are all Yang family loyalists, mostly brothers who've fought and bled beside me—I don't want too many casualties.

But what we face this time is a terrifying great demon.

Within the province's borders, great demons are invincible.

Even with a great array built, resisting a great demon is by no means easy.

Yang Jiyong's expression was calm, but inwardly he was deeply anxious.

After Yang Rong left, a while later, Zhang Lan found Yang Jiyong again.

After Foundation Establishment, Zhang Lan's confidence had grown—he stood straighter when facing Yang Jiyong.

They briefly exchanged information about the hunt to kill Feng Xi, and Zhang Lan turned to leave—but after taking a few steps, Yang Jiyong called out to him.

"Zhang Lan." Yang Jiyong called, fell silent for a moment, then said hoarsely: "Don't die…"

Zhang Lan's expression froze slightly, surprised—but his mouth still spat out a retort:

"I won't die, you bastard, don't curse me."

Yang Jiyong's eyelid twitched. "I said don't die, not go die!"

Zhang Lan snorted. "Before a big battle, everything's said backward. You saying that makes it sound like I'm about to die…"

Yang Jiyong's tiny flicker of concern for Zhang Lan vanished instantly—he couldn't help shouting:

"You son of a bitch, your mouth never spits out anything decent—I've been feeding kindness to a dog!"

"You have kindness?"

"None left—it's all been eaten by you, you dog."

…

The two traded insults for a while, then fell silent.

Zhang Lan said: "Relax—the array was built by Mo Hua. He doesn't do anything without confidence. As long as you don't go looking for death, you won't die…"

Yang Jiyong said nothing, but his mood lifted slightly.

…

At the hour of Mao, everyone began preparing according to plan to awaken Feng Xi and lure it into the great array.

Yang Jiyong moved first.

He leveled his spear, channeling all his Qi to concentrate spiritual energy upon it, whereupon the spear blazed with golden light and, wielding immense force, thrust toward the Boar Demon's abdomen.

This was the Yang family's secret supreme Dao art—Jin Guang Spear.

The Qian family's ancestral elder, at Foundation Establishment mid-stage, had once been gravely wounded by this spear technique.

Where the spear struck, the Boar Demon's abdomen was shredded by spiritual energy, leaving a deep wound—but instantly, blood qi coalesced and new flesh regrew.

Seeing this, all present exclaimed in awe.

Such a powerful spear technique, and such immense blood qi.

To kill a beast of this strength, even if done by cultivators, was nearly impossible.

Even if it stood motionless and let these Foundation Establishment cultivators strike at it until they dropped from exhaustion, they might not deplete even one or two tenths of its blood qi.

Yet this spear thrust had indeed inflicted serious wounds upon the Boar Demon.

The Boar Demon, wracked with pain, suddenly awoke and let out a ferocious roar that turned all who heard it pale.

It opened its eyes; its pupils shifted irregularly before locking onto Commander Yang. In an instant, the malice radiating from its body surged violently.

It rose shakily—the Boar Demon, having refined three months' worth of blood qi, now stood like a small mountain, drenched in thick stench of blood, charging straight at Commander Yang.

Fortunately, the boar demon was clumsy and its blood qi was not yet fully refined, so its movements were sluggish.

Yang Jiyong retreated backward, drawing the Boar Demon as he moved toward the great array.

Three chapters today; I'll add another later—just a quick note on plot progress~